Looking to purchase a pair of AR-15s with 20" barrels and full length gas systems in the next few months. No need for rails on the foregrip since all I'll be mounting is a bipod. Fixed stock preferred. Would like one with the traditional carrying handle with integral rear sight, the other "flat top" for mounting a scope. Something in the $1000-$1500 range. Quality uber alles, reliability and durability a premium, but not interested in spending extra just for a brand name or tactical bullsh*t.

Armalite and Windham seem to make good options for what I'm looking at. Any thoughts on these two? Other recommendations?

"It is demonstrable that power structures tend to attract people who want power for the sake of power and that a significant proportion of such people are imbalanced — in a word, insane.” – Frank Herbert

Today it's harder to find a bad AR15 than it is a good one. Personally I settled on the M&P platform from S&W, but only because of the customer service that S&W is known for. I won't say that it's any better or any worse than Armalite or Windham, but it is my standardized platform. In that price range you'll be getting very basic models so just make sure that whatever you choose has a chrome lining. I wouldn't personally own an AR15 that wasn't chrome lined. The "AR15/M16 is not reliable" reputation was earned as a direct result of the earliest models not being chrome lined. I've had an equal number of failures in my chrome lined AR15s as I've had in my AK47s: zero.

"It is demonstrable that power structures tend to attract people who want power for the sake of power and that a significant proportion of such people are imbalanced — in a word, insane.” – Frank Herbert